HIStalk: Healthcare IT News & Updates – January 9, 2026

Okay, here’s a summary of the key information from the provided text, categorized for clarity:

1. Funding‍ & Acquisitions:

* IntelyCare acquires CareRev: IntelyCare, a healthcare staffing platform, bought CareRev, a hospital⁢ shift-bidding platform. CareRev ‍had a controversial recent history with its founder’s departure.
* Oasys Health Funding: Oasys Health, focused ⁢on therapist workflow automation, raised $4.6 ⁢million in⁣ seed/pre-seed funding.
* ⁣ Healthcare PE Investment: Global healthcare private equity investment reached a record $190 ⁣billion in‍ 2025.
* TPG & Optum UK: ⁣Private equity firm TPG is reportedly close to acquiring UnitedHealth’s Optum UK (electronic patient ‍record systems) for $1.5 billion, potentially combining⁢ it ⁣with their ‍existing portfolio ‍company Nextech.

2. Sales & Partnerships:

* ‍ IScribeHealth⁢ & Lifepoint Health: Lifepoint Health chose IScribeHealth for ambient ⁤documentation (AI-powered ⁣scribing).
* VectorCare & Lyft: VectorCare launched a Lyft integration (“Smart on FHIR App”) within Epic EHRs⁣ to streamline patient transportation.

3. People:

* Lyric CEO: ⁤ Halsey Wise was appointed CEO of Lyric.
* Imprivata Promotion: Tom Shapiro was promoted to VP⁤ of cybersecurity sales⁤ at Imprivata.

4. Implementations & Results:

* ⁢⁣ Epic & Drug Interactions: Epic’s shared medical records helped dentists avoid 260,000 ⁢potential drug interactions in 2025.

5. Regulatory/Goverment:

*⁤ ⁢ FDA Regulation of Wellness Tech: The FDA will reduce⁣ regulation of low-risk wellness⁤ technologies (fitness apps, trackers) provided that they don’t ⁢make medical claims.

6. Sponsor Updates (Briefly):

* CereCore: Team volunteered at Salvation Army.
* Black Book Research: Recap of 2025 research.
* ⁣ Ellkay: New customer success story with West Feliciana Hospital.
* Health ‍Data Movers: ⁤Welcomed Carl Ferguson to the team.

Overall Trends:

* ⁤ Consolidation: Acquisitions (IntelyCare/CareRev,⁣ potential TPG/Optum UK) are a important theme.
*⁤ AI & Automation: AI-powered tools (IScribeHealth) and ⁢workflow automation (Oasys Health) are gaining traction.
* Interoperability: Efforts to integrate different systems (VectorCare/Lyft/Epic, Epic & dental⁤ records) are ongoing.
* Investment: ⁣ Healthcare continues ⁢to attract substantial private equity investment.
* Regulatory Shifts: The FDA is adjusting its approach to wellness technology regulation.

Let me know if you’d ⁤like me to elaborate on any specific point⁢ or ⁢analyze⁢ the information further!

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